Pride
by greyrondo
Summary: It was said that pride, or superbia in Latin, was the source of all the other deadly sins that plagued the state of the human soul. Once pride made the first move, gluttony, greed, envy, lust, sloth, and wrath all followed.


Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I don't own any previously copyrighted material. But everything not associated with such (original plot, original characters, etc.) does belong to me.

It was said that pride, or _superbia_ in Latin, was the source of all the other deadly sins that plagued the state of the human soul. Once pride made the first move, gluttony, greed, envy, lust, sloth, and wrath all followed.

Please enjoy and please review!

~greyrondo

**Pride**

_The seven deadly sins are present in London._

Ciel stared at the note. It was written in his own hand, but the words didn't belong to him. He folded it into quarters and set it squarely in the center of the blotter atop his desk, and then sighed and leaned back into his high-backed chair. He didn't need to stare at the words continuously to ponder why the Undertaker had thought it was something that Ciel needed to hear.

There was a knock at the door, and Ciel looked directly in front of him as Sebastian entered.

"Young Master, are you still puzzling over that fragment? For all you know, it's simply something that the Undertaker told you for the simple amusement of watching you fret over it."

At that, Ciel shook his head. "I've never known the Undertaker to have that sort of sense of humor. Unless you're indirectly telling me that you know something…?"

Giving Ciel an apologetic half-smile, Sebastian shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But if it's a puzzle, perhaps I can be of some assistance. May I?" he asked, his palm hovering over the folded note.

With a curt nod, Ciel assented, and Sebastian nodded his head in thanks as he unfolded it and considered it for a moment. "Is this exactly how he said it?" Sebastian wanted to know.

"Definitely."

"And it's the only thing he said on the matter?"

"He said that it's important and such an occurrence brings about discord, no matter how small the contributions of each may be to the grand result," Ciel said with a weary sigh. "The most obvious answer is that the seven deadly sins are present in the people of London, which as a Phantomhive, is hardly news. I don't believe that's quite what he means."

"Because the seven deadly sins are always present within a population of any size?"

Ciel smirked. "You would know, wouldn't you?"

Sebastian chuckled for a moment, and then cleared his throat. "Speaking of, we demons rather like the work of the one Peter Binsfield, who paired several of our most well-known with the deadly sin they prefer to work with the best. But I think I would know if those seven were all here in London."

"Would you?"

"Hmm?"

"_Would_ you know?" Ciel demanded quietly. "And if you did, would you tell me, of your own initiative? Or would you wait for me to ask the right question?"

Ciel still remembered when Sebastian had withheld Jack the Ripper's true identity from him. Logically, he wholly blamed himself for not considering what seemed like such an obvious possibility in hindsight, but in fact it still stung when he remembered it.

"I would know," Sebastian assured him, "and if it were the case, you would know without me telling you, since I doubt I would be able to maintain complete composure under such circumstances."

After a moment of silence, Ciel said, very quietly, "Have you done anything that might draw unwanted attention?"

"Young Master, I think you know the answer to that question. While I've broken none of our laws—hardly—there are those who will persecute others because of their beliefs alone, as you've likely seen from your fellow humans."

"But isn't such violence a sign of the sin of wrath?" Ciel mused. "Are you saying that demons aren't immune to their own tools of corruption?"

"In so many words, no, we aren't," Sebastian said. And then he added, "Do you think I'm corrupting you, Young Master?"

"What's it matter if you are?" Ciel told him. "I think that any being is capable of corrupting another."

"And you accuse me of dodging questions that I don't want to answer truthfully," Sebastian said with a reassuring laugh. "Don't worry, I won't be offended. Depending on your answer, I might even be flattered. I am a demon, after all."

"A demon that likes to play human," Ciel muttered. "Fine. Honestly, I believe that if it weren't you, it would have been one of your kin. I'm quite fortunate that you came along; what would I do if I ended up with someone less refined than yourself?"

"The quality of the meal does not detract from the fact that such indulgence is still a sin. In fact, one could argue that devoting so much time to a meal is even more of a transgression. But what's a demon doing, worrying over such things?"

"Like I said, a demon who likes to play human," Ciel said more clearly. "But yes, I do believe that you're corrupting me, but only because you're facilitating my revenge, something that would not be possible without your aid. Then again, I… past events have made it obvious that someone, somewhere, will help another fulfill the wishes that are better left ungranted."

A dark shadow passed over Ciel's gaze, and Sebastian reached forward and lightly touched his cheek. Just for an instant, enough time for Ciel to feel the gesture but not so long for Ciel to pretend he never needed it.

"Afternoon tea will be ready soon. Will you be taking it here, or shall I prepare it elsewhere?"

"Elsewhere," Ciel insisted, although he didn't specify where, exactly.

But still, Sebastian bowed his head. "Yes, my lord. If you'll excuse me, I will attend to it now."

And as Sebastian closed the door behind him, he had a sudden thought. Discounting the thought of the manifestation of the seven deadly sins in the population of London or in the presence of demons, there left the core thought that these seven deadly sins all changed London enough to provoke something terrible.

In that case, Sebastian had an answer. Ciel said that anyone, not just a demon, could assist someone towards their doom. Ciel's Lau embodied the greed of someone who helped another for their own sake, and Ciel's late aunt Angelina, envy. Extending Ciel's thought, the Grim Reaper who seduced her—Sebastian sighed in exhausted patience at the thought of him—embodied lust.

If Grim Reapers and demons could succumb to such sins, then how different were angels? The wrath of Heaven, righteous as it claimed to be, could not cover its true nature.

Sloth was now considered among the seven deadly sins, but Sebastian was old enough—and felt sure that the Undertaker was as well—to remember when the source of sloth, despair amongst others, was considered equally dangerous to the souls of humans. Who better to represent despair than the perennially-mourning Queen Victoria herself?

_Avarita, invidia, luxuria, ira, acedia_. That left two.

It was a puzzle to Sebastian until he steeped the tea leaves, but as the steam from the water rose up to meet his face, it suddenly came to him.

Sebastian himself was the personification of gluttony. And as for pride…

The Young Master had more important things with which to occupy his time than the Undertaker's riddle. Even if he did still think of it after tea, this was one of those times when Sebastian decided it would be better to wait until Ciel knew exactly which question to ask.


End file.
